Pressurized aerosol products typically comprise a container, usually a cylindrical metal can, containing a propellant gas and the product to be dispensed and a valve assembly and actuator for controlling dispensing of the product as an aerosol. One end of the container is closed by a metal dome which is crimped and sealed to the upper side wall of the container and has a central opening for receiving a metal mounting cup which is crimped and sealed into the dome. The mounting cup, in turn, has a central pedestal having a central opening for mounting a valve assembly. The valve assembly provides a controllable flow passage from an inlet formed in a first end of a dip tube, extending downward into the aerosol container and into the product to be dispensed, to an outlet formed in a remote end of a valve stem extending through the central opening in the pedestal and supporting an actuator. The actuator, in turn, generally has a longitudinal passage, extending from the outlet of the valve stem, through the actuator and communicating with a discharge outlet of the actuator, which is shaped to provide the desired discharge spray pattern for the product. When depressed, the actuator moves downward, with respect to the valve assembly and pedestal, and actuates the valve assembly to open the valve so that the product passes through the controllable flow passage of valve assembly and actuator and is dispensed. When the actuator is released, the valve assembly is biased by a spring back to its normally closed position to prevent further dispensing. Such biasing action also, in turn, returns the actuator back to its normal, extended position, with respect to the pedestal, so that the actuator may be again depressed to facilitate further dispensing of product to be dispensed.
One problem which frequently occurs with known actuators is that it is somewhat difficult to adjust the orientation of the product to be dispensed as it is dispensed from the discharge outlet of the actuator. In particular, for a fan spray discharge, it is not easy in most known actuators, to modify the orientation of the fan spray for a particular application, e.g., when spraying upside down or at a particular angle with respect to a surface or object to be sprayed.
Another recurring problem with such pressurized products arises from the general requirement that the actuator be depressed to actuate the valve assembly. This requirement, in turn, generally requires that an inner portion of the actuator be shaped such that when the actuator is depressed and moves downward, the actuator at least partially encloses the upper portion of the pedestal and the valve assembly. The actuator, however, is mounted to the valve assembly only by a tube-like centrally located element, such as a valve stem, of the valve assembly and it is necessary to provide sufficient clearance between the actuator and the pedestal to allow the actuator to move downward and to enclose part of the pedestal. This structural arrangement, in turn, allows the actuator to assume a product discharge angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the container, the pedestal, and the valve assembly when the actuator is depressed, with the product discharge angle somewhat being dependent upon the angle at which the operator's finger applies pressure on the top of the actuator.
Under desired actuator depression conditions, the product to be dispensed exits the discharge outlet of the actuator at a desired product discharge angle of about 100 degrees or so with respect to the longitudinal axis of the valve assembly so that the product to be dispensed clears the mounting cup and/or the aerosol container and the entire product to be dispensed sprays the desired product, area, item, etc. If, however, undesired actuator depression occurs, the actuator is depressed such that the product to be dispensed exits the discharge outlet of the actuator at a product discharge angle of about 90 degrees or less, so that it is likely that the product to be dispensed will partially impinge on the mounting cup and/or the aerosol container. Besides wasting a portion of the product to be dispensed, the container and possibly the user's hand may become coated with the product, which is generally an undesirable condition.
In this regard, it should be noted that actuators are typically provided with internal “stop ribs” which abut with the top surface of the pedestal to prevent excessive depression of the actuator. The “stop ribs”, however, do not alleviate the problem of product impingement on the pedestal as the valve assembly is actuated before the depression limit is reached and the actuator may assume an undesired angle before the depression limit is reached.